What are the tonal patterns of the five-character regulated verse?
Following are the two basic tonal patterns of the five-character regulated verse:
A. Starting with the deflected tone
△△ ○○ △
○○ △△ ●
○○ ○△ △
△△ △○ ●
△△ ○○ △
○○ △△ ●
○○ ○△ △
△△ △○ ●
Note: The first line can be replaced by: △△ △○ ●
B. Starting with the level tone
○○ ○△ △
△△ △○ ●
△△ ○○ △
○○ △△ ●
○○ ○△ △
△△ △○ ●
△△ ○○ △
○○ △△ ●
Note: The first line can be replaced by: ○○ △△ ●
○ = level tone
△ = deflected tone
● = rhyme (level tone)
○ = can be replaced by a deflected tone
△ = can be replaced by a level tone
Some rules to be observed:
In general, the first and third character in each line may be in either level or deflected tone so long as no "one ping" (孤平) will result. That is to say, a level tone in any line should not be surrounded by two deflected tones as shown below:
△○ △△ ●
The above condition can be "rescued" by placing a level-tone character at the third position as illustrated below:
△○ ○△ ●
Also, in each couplet, the second and fourth characters of the first line must be different in tone from those of the second line. For example, if the second character of the first line is a deflected tone, the second character of the second line has to be a level tone, and vice versa. On the other hand, the second line of each couplet must have the same tone as the first line of the next couplet for the second and fourth characters. For example, if the fourth character of line 4 is in level tone, then the fourth character of line 5 must also be in level tone.
Second and fourth characters are opposite in tone within each couplet:
line/position 1 2 3 4 5
1 △ △ ○ ○ △
2 ○ ○ △ △ ●
3 ○ ○ ○ △ △
4 △ △ △ ○ ●
5 △ △ ○ ○ △
6 ○ ○ △ △ ●
7 ○ ○ ○ △ △
8 △ △ △ ○ ●
Same tone for the second and fourth characters in the adjacent couplets:
line/position 1 2 3 4 5
1 △ △ ○ ○ △
2 ○ ○ △ △ ●
3 ○ ○ ○ △ △
4 △ △ △ ○ ●
5 △ △ ○ ○ △
6 ○ ○ △ △ ●
7 ○ ○ ○ △ △
8 △ △ △ ○ ●